Your Stress-Free Holiday Dining Guide: Where to Eat on Christmas Day 2012

The presents are unwrapped, the place is destroyed and the pine needles from the Christmas tree have formed a fine carpet throughout the house. The last thing you want to do is dirty up a bunch of dishes cooking after all that. So why not let one of the many Houston restaurants open on Christmas Day take care of that for you, so you can relax and enjoy your family?

We have compiled lists of many of the restaurants open for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and will update this list before the big nights arrive. Check out our list below of restaurants open on Christmas Day, or head over to our list of restaurants open on Christmas Eve. And for a comprehensive listing of all the restaurants open on Christmas Day, head to B4-U-Eat.

From 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Quattro offers a special Christmas Day brunch where you fill your plates directly off the line from the chefs. For Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, Quattro offers a dinner featuring an antipasti buffet, roasted venison loin with a grilled lobster tail and an array of pastries that'll feed the whole family. Quattro will be open for regular lunch service on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Visit Carmelo's on Christmas Eve for lunch or dinner and Christmas Day for lunch from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. Enjoy their regular menu, with a few special holiday items like prime rib, baked ham and roast turkey.

Hubbell & Hudson opens both Christmas Eve and Day for everyone to wine and dine or shop for their holiday meal. Visit the bistro for a delicious dinner filled with menu items cooked with all the ingredients from the market next door. If you'd rather cook a Christmas meal at your house, visit the market before 7 p.m. on Christmas Eve and 6 p.m. on Christmas Day.

The Turquoise Grill opens their doors on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with delicious Mediterranean cuisine including stuffed grape leaves, Moroccan chicken with jasmine rice, grilled lamb chops and a baklava or cheesecake for dessert.

Kiran's offers a Christmas Day brunch buffet from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. filled with the 12 Dishes of Christmas featuring a tandoori leg of lamb, handmade tamales and a gingerbread trifle with poached pears and spiced cream. The menu starts with a cranberry martini or pomegranate champagne cocktail.

Family coming in town to stay? Set them up at the Hilton Americas downtown, where you can all enjoy a Christmas Day brunch from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. complete with a huge breakfast buffet, carving station with a roasted prime rib and a selection of savory entrées including pan-seared salmon and Cornish game hen. The cost is $34.95 for adults, $29.95 for seniors, $14.95 for children ages seven to 12 and free for children six years old and under.

The Line & Lariat inside Hotel ICON will be offering a Christmas Day buffet from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Christmas Day. Enjoy items such as beef and pork tamales, oven-roasted turkey, applewood-smoked ham, cornbread and sausage dressing with giblet gravy, candied yams, roasted cranberry-ancho chile relish and Mexican chicken mole with rice and corn tortillas. Save room for pumpkin and pecan pies, fruitcakes and a Yule log. The cost is $42.50 per person and $15 for children. Kids five years and under eat for free.

RA Sushi will be offering all-day happy hour pricing on December 25 from 6 p.m. to midnight. The happy hour menu features more than 35 appetizers, sushi specials and drink selections ranging from $2.25 to $7.25. Try some RA favorites like the Viva Las Vegas Roll and Tootsy Maki or a specialty cocktail such as the Emperor's Cucumberita or Strawberry Saketini.

Royal Sonesta
2222 West Loop South, 713-627-7600
The restaurant inside the Royal Sonesta Hotel will feature a special four-course prix-fixe menu ($70) on Christmas Day, in addition to its regular à la carte menu items. The restaurant will even keep its normal hours that day: 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., and 5:30 to 10 p.m.

Enjoy your Christmas Day at Monarch Bistro in the Hotel ZaZa from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., where executive chef Jonathan Jones has revamped the menu and put his own touches on every detail -- including the four-course holiday menu that's available for $55 a person. Call 713-527-1800 for reservations and more details.